Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Before you know it, the holidays are here. It has not even been Thanksgiving yet and the radio stations are already playing Christmas music...crazy, right?! And then comes to mind all of the things you must get accomplished before family and friends come over to celebrate the holidays. You are worried about what food you are going to serve, presents to buy and a myriad of other things you know you absolutely have to get done. In the craziness of the holidays, what are you supposed to do about the in-between meals? The meals that are leading up to the big day? Who wants to spend even more time in the kitchen trying to come up with something for dinner? This is where Kroger Skillet Meals come in.

Kroger Skillet Meals are the perfect answer to the dinners that fall on days that come between holidays. They take minimal time to prepare - they are ready to eat in just TEN minutes! TEN MINUTES! Now how many meals can you say accomplish that? There are several different flavors of skillet meals. These flavors include Tuscan-Style Penne, Chicken Fajitas, Sorrento-Style Gnocchi, Shrimp Lo Mein and Sausage Rigatoni. I decided on the Tuscan-Style Penne because it has one of my favorite vegetables in it - asparagus. Yum! The main ingredients for the Tuscan-Style Penne included grilled chicken breast, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes in a roasted garlic cream sauce. I absolutely love anything that has garlic in it, so this was another reason why I was excited to try this flavor. All of the ingredients were very fresh and delicious - you would never even guess that the meal comes frozen. Each meal comes with two servings so it is the right amount for two people.

This meal was paired with a Kroger Salad Kit and Kroger Garlic Bread. The salad kit comes with everything I like to eat with my salad - dressing, cheese and bacon bits. There was enough for two people to have a nice sized salad. I just threw all of the ingredients into a salad bowl, mixed them together and let each person decide on how much dressing they wanted. I really enjoy having a salad with almost every meal, so having this kit was fantastic. The lettuce was already cut up, the cheese and bacon bits were ready to just be mixed in with the lettuce...delicious! The garlic bread was ready in ten minutes as well, which really pleased me. I thought maybe I was going to have to put it in the oven a few minutes before I started cooking the skillet meal, but no! Both items were ready at the same time. I am so used to spending at least thirty minutes, if not more, on preparing a dinner each night. The Kroger Skillet Meal and sides were absolutely refreshing and reminds me that yes, you can have a meal ready to eat in no time flat!If you are looking for a quick meal that offers you ingredients that are delicious, ready in ten minutes and enjoyed by your entire family, look to Kroger Skillet Meals and sides. You will certainly make these staple items when you go grocery shopping!

I am a member of BzzAgent and received all items mentioned in this post for free. While I received all of these items for free, all opinions are my own.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans are facing hunger right now? And that more than 6 million Americans are fed by food banks each week?* Would you like to help those who are in need?I hope that you will join me in participating in the 'Stamp Out Hunger!' event that occurs this Saturday - May 11, 2013.

It is so easy to just collect a few items for donation. Here's how you can help:

Pick up a few or several non-perishable items at your grocery store. Note that items that need to be put in the refrigerator, are contained in glass or are expired CANNOT be included.

Simply place your items in a plastic or paper grocery bag next to your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick them up to be delivered to a local food bank! It's that easy.

Please check your local grocery ad to see what is on sale this week and be sure to use coupons when you go shopping. I have several items that I plan on getting and some are even FREE after coupons! If you have a stockpile you may be able to pull some items from there.

Remember - it does not have to be seven bags full of items...even if you only donate three cans of soup you are still helping out!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Hello everyone! I have a new couponing shopping trip that I wanted to share with you. My mom and I left work early last Thursday (April 25th) because she had a dentist appointment to go to. After I dropped her off, I went home (our dentist office is about 5 minutes from our house!) and changed out of my work clothes and grabbed my coupons for the CVS trip. Let me tell you that going in the early afternoon is one of the best times to go. Hardly anyone is there and it's so much easier and less hectic then when I go after work. I wish I could have this arrangement all the time! I got in and got out without any issue. I truly love shopping at CVS. It is the best drug store to stop at in my opinion - for a plethora of reasons. But that's a post for another day...for now, on to the haul!One of the many reasons I have enjoyed couponing is the fact that you have more of an opportunity to donate items. For me, it's either getting (a lot of the time for free!) a couple extra personal care items - like toothpaste - or even baby items, which is something that does not apply to my life at this time. However, I enjoy getting these things because I know someone out there will be able to use them. We have a box sitting next to our front door that is filled with items we donate and I am so thankful that the Lord brought couponing into my life...not only is my family saving money and getting what they need, but I am also able to contribute even a small amount to those in need.

No coupons for the wipes - the $1 coupon I was going to use was gone by the time I went to print it. However, I had a $5 extra buck that I applied to this item.

No coupons for the makeup, but I had $7 in extra bucks to apply to this item.

(1) .50/1 Crest toothpaste

(1) $3.00/$15.00 baby purchase - CVS Coupon Machine coupon

25% off coupon emailed to me that I loaded to my card (excluded sale items, so it applied to my makeup) and this took off $3.45

There is also a Kimberly-Clark rebate that I used towards the purchase of the diapers and wipes. If you buy $35 worth of participating items, you can submit for a $10 rebate. If you buy $25 worth of items, you can submit for a $5 rebate. I qualified for the $10 one. (You can find the Kimberly-Clark rebate here.

Total before coupons, sales, extra bucks and rebates would have been: $64.54Total out of pocket: $29.25After applying the $16 in extra bucks and the $10.00 rebate, my total is technically: $3.25 or .54 cents for each item!

I have a couple other hauls that I will be posting this week, so stay tuned! Also, I'm working on getting a new blog design so stick around for that. I'm really excited about it and am looking forward to it.

Do you have any deals that you would like to share that you got recently? If so, share it in the comments!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Welcome to the ninth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. Due to the changes with Google reader, I changed the rules to follow either GFC or Bloglovin'. Thank you for joining us this week, and don't forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!

A coupon blog dedicated to showing how awesome and fun couponing can be! Weekly hauls and special coupons posted frequently. I want to help others learn how to coupon so they can save money and enjoy doing it!

Rules:

1. Follow both of your hosts via GFC or Bloglovin'.

(first 2 links below)

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC or Bloglovin'

(next two links)

3. Link up your main blog URL, not a specific post.

4. Link back to us by grabbing our button.

5. Tweet, Facebook, and Pin this blog hop. The more you spread the word the more people will link up, and the more success you will have!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I know we all like to earn cash back on the items we buy. If you sign up for a credit card through your bank (and your bank offers it), you can get cash back on gas, groceries or other items. While these options are nice, there is a new way to get cash back within the app world! This is where Ibotta comes in!Ibotta is a FREE app that you can download onto your smartphone (Android and iPhone) and even your iPad that allows you to get cash back on the groceries and other items you buy. How does it work?First, you will want to download the app. Did I mention it is FREE? Next, you will want to sign up for an account. It's very simple and takes only a few minutes. You can either do so through your Facebook account, or your email - whichever you prefer.After you sign up for an account, start going through the various offers and click on items you know you will buy. Do this by clicking on the pink "Earn [insert amount]" button below the items.

When you click on an offer, there can be two to three 'tasks' you complete in order for you to earn the cash back amount. These 'tasks' can range from taking a poll such as "When was the last time you bought this product?" and it will give you four options. Other tasks include sharing it on Facebook or watching a quick video. You have to complete all of the offers in order to receive the full cash back amount, but if you only want to complete one or two offers that works as well. As you complete the tasks, the amount you have to redeem will appear at the bottom of your screen.

Now it is time to go shopping! Yes, you can pair coupons with the items you added to your Ibotta list. You will still earn the full amount (based on how many tasks you completed) and the coupon will not affect the cash back offer. Make sure you keep your receipt handy because you will need it to submit to receive your cash back!

Taking a picture of your receipt is extremely simple and even has an option to 'add a section' if your receipt is very long. Simply place the receipt on a flat surface and snap a picture of the entire thing, or only a small section if you have a bigger receipt. If you have a bigger receipt, simply hit 'add a section' and it will save all the pictures you snap of your receipt. Please be aware you have to take pictures of your ENTIRE receipt - not just of the sections that have your redeemable items!

The second part of verification involves you scanning the bar code of the item(s) you bought. After this, you're done! Just hit submit and you will receive your notification of cash back fairly soon if everything is verified and you followed all of these steps. I submitted my first transaction and not even an hour later I had my cash back! You can have the money transferred at any time to a PayPal account or you can donate it to a school. It's that simple and it's that fast! I highly recommend it!

The more you use this app the more personalized the offers become. As soon as you submit a receipt and it's verified, new offers will pop up in the place of the redeemed offers.

Ibotta is just another great way to save even more on the items you purchase!

I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Hello readers!Today I would like to share with you a coupon code for an Etsy shop by the name of Lyladee. Sarah, from Our Journey, contacted me and asked if I would share with you the code for this lovely shop!

Lyladee is a shop that specializes in burlap banners for any and all occasions.

A burlap banner with five triangles is only $10.00 + shipping. You can even get FREE SHIPPING if you spend $40.00 or more.

You must be a ready of Our Journeyto use the 15% discount and you can find the post about this shop with the coupon code HERE.

A couple weekends ago my mom, my uncle and I went to visit my great aunt in Richmond, Kentucky. It is about an hour and a half drive from where we are, so the drive is a nice getaway but nothing too major. My great aunt, whom we shall call Aunt Jean from here on out (and some of you reading this probably know a little or a lot about good ol' AJ), has a Kroger about two minutes from her house. They just remodeled it recently and it has everything you can possible imagine in there. Furniture, Starbucks, a sushi bar, wider aisles...I mean my goodness it is really nice in there! I am really hoping that the Kroger just down the street from my house that is being remodeled will be done the same exact way. Crossing my fingers!Now we have been inside the Kroger while it was being remodeled, but I had not seen it completely done. So Mom and I made a venture in there and I just happened to have my coupon binder with me...and yeah, you see where this is going. An impromptu trip to Kroger during the awesome Mega Sale! :DHere is the breakdown of all the items I bought, how much they were, what coupon I used and how much I saved. We needed these items so I was very excited about being able to get such great deals on them. Some of the items I did not have coupons for, but they were at a stock up price (for me) so I felt comfortable getting said items without the coupon. I need to make another run to Kroger this week before the Mega Sale is over to pick up a few more food related items. I made a second trip to my Kroger at home to finish getting what I needed from the Mega Sale...but now, it's on to the breakdown of what I purchased on this trip!

(9) Kroger Pasta (8 shapes, 1 lasagna)- These normally run about $1.19 a piece, and usually are on sale for $1.00. However, they were marked down to .89 cents this particular sale week (except the lasagna which was about $2.35 - but I need it for a recipe!). I usually have a .45/2 Kroger store coupon for these, but this week I did not! Total paid: $9.47.

(1) Hefty Freezer Bags and (2) Hefty Quart Bags - These are normally about $3.45 a piece, but were marked down to $1.49 for the Mega Sale. All three would have been $10.35, but being marked down to $1.49 and using (3) $1.00/1 coupons made them .49 cents each! Total paid: $1.47

(2) Reynolds Aluminum Foil - We all know how aluminum foil can be expensive, so I usually stick to the store brand...but even that can be expensive too! Reynolds Aluminum Foil was a good deal for me during the sale, so I opted for the name brand this go round. For both packages it would have been $8.98 or $4.49 each. Being part of the Mega Sale made these $3.49 a piece and I had (2) .75/1 coupons, making them $2.74 a piece. Total paid: $5.48

(8) Febreze Car Air Freshener Clips - This is one item that I really like to use because they make my car smell amazing. They last longer than the air fresheners you hang on your rear view mirror and work better too. They clip on to an air vent and have an adjustable setting depending on how strong you want the scent. I usually buy these at CVS or Rite Aid because Kroger's prices on these are normally $4.99! Anytime that I can get them for $1.50 or under is great because that's by stock up price. These were not part of the Mega Sale, but were marked down to $2.50 each! What great timing because I had some awesome coupons to go along with it! I used (4) $2.00/2 coupons making them $1.50 each! Total paid: $12.00

(3) Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - I am like a kid when it comes to these haha. They are great for a quick snack at work and are easy to throw in your purse and go. I usually try to get these when they are under $2.50 and with the Mega Sale I could get them for $2.39 each. They normally run for $2.89 a piece. Total paid: $7.17

(2) Kleenex Hand Towels - I normally only buy these when I can get these under $2.00 and I only but them every once in a while. They were part of the Mega Sale which meant that they were going to be a pretty good price. Plus I had (2) .50/1 coupons which doubled to $1.00...coupons like this for this item are extremely rare! With the Mega Sale they were $2.79 each, but with my doubled coupons they were only $1.79 each! Total paid: $3.58

(1) Kroger Olive Oil - I did not have any coupons for this but it was the cheapest kind I could find because we use olive oil all the time and we were out. Total paid: $4.39

(3) Finish Gel Dishwasher Packs - Is it possible to get some more coupons for these like the ones that just came out? The $2.15/1 coupons? Because those were fantastic. I wish I would have picked up some more newspapers just to get these coupons, but I did not. This particular pack I bought is normally $8.09 a PACK. $8.09!! That's crazy. Since they were part of the Mega Sale, they were marked down to $5.99. Throw in the $2.15/1 coupon and you have yourself paying $3.84 a pack. That's close to being half off the original price! Total paid: $11.52

Now here comes the fun part!

Total before coupons and sales: $108.92

Total savings (includes coupons and sales): $57.45. See below how this total breaks down:

Manufacturer coupons: $20.45

Bonus coupon savings: $1.00

Kroger Plus Savings: $36.00

Total spent OOP (Out of pocket): $51.47Percentage savings: 54%!!!

Anytime you can get your savings 40% and above is great!

Please let me know if you see any problems with the math or if you have any questions about anything. I would be happy to help you in any way!Kayla.P.S.: You may notice some changes going on around the blog for the next couple days...stay tuned!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

If you use iTunes Gift Cards or know someone who does, you will want to hurry and add this coupon to your Kroger Plus Shopping card quick!

Save $5.00 when you buy a $25 iTunes Gift Card!

Just sign in to your online Kroger account, click on "Coupons" and it should be the first one listed. Click "Load to Card" and you're set!

If you need to create an account, make sure you are signed up for a Kroger Plus Card and then input the data from your card here! It only takes a few seconds to sign up for an online account and you can gain access to more digital coupons! (Please note that this coupon will also apply to any Kroger affiliates.)

One of the items I really enjoy using with my laundry is Downy Unstoppables. They provide a long lasting fresh scent after your clothes are washed and dried that I was instantly hooked the first time I tried a sample. They go on sale every once in awhile, so when I have coupons and they are at a good price I stock up so it will last me. A new smaller size has come out recently that is only about $1 or $2 cheaper than the larger size...and if I remember correctly it's pretty much considered a trial size? It bothers me, but hey. Nothing I can do about it. I'll just stick with getting the regular, original size for almost 50% off. :)This week CVS was the store to have my favorite laundry item on sale and I had some great coupons to match up with it. CVS also had a great deal on Febreze Car Clips, which I only get if I can get them at at least $1.50 or less.

(1) Febreze Car Clip in Hawaiian Aloha Scent - regularly $3.79, on sale for $2.99. I used a $1.00/1 coupon from a P&G promotional book that I received in the mail. I was only able to get one of these because it was the only one left and they did not have any more in the back. Total paid: $1.99.

Subtotal: $21.95

Total after tax (6%): $21.95 + $1.62 = $23.57

I did have a $10 gift card from a previous transaction that I applied to this order.

Total after $10 gift card: $23.57 - $10.00 = $13.57.

Total had there not been any sales or coupons: $31.27.

I received $5 extra bucks for the purchases, so *technically* I paid only $8.57.

If you have any questions or you see an issue with the math, please let me know. My next post will be about an impromptu trip to Kroger! I really scored at the Mega Sale and I need to make another trip before the great deals end tomorrow.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

I would like to thank Rebekah over at All That Glitters for nominating me for a Liebster Award! This is very exciting. Thank you Rebekah!

Rules:

This award is given to new orup andcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers...the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.

3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5. No tag backs.

11 Random Facts about myself:

1. My favorite season is fall - not too warm, not too cold.

2. My favorite color is lime green.

3. I have to have a fan on when I sleep. I also like to fall asleep with the television on.

4. History is my absolute favorite subject. I love learning about the past and my only regret is I will never get to experience the past first hand.

5. I absolutely DETEST shopping...every once in awhile I'll get in the mood to go but I'd rather just stay at home and watch a football or basketball game.

6. I am an only child.

7. I love to cook and try new foods/recipes all the time.

8. My family takes our vacation every year to either Panama City Beach, Orlando or Clearwater Beach Florida. We have been doing so since I was six years old - I am almost twenty four.

9. I love anything having to do with Marie Antoinette and France. I was blessed to be able to travel to France and Spain in 2009.

10. I want to have several children. I would love to have at least five.

11. My favorite grocery store is Publix (we do not have one where I live so I always have to wait until we go to Florida!) and Kroger is a close second.

11 Questions from Rebekah:

1. What is your favorite nail polish color? - Very rarely do I paint my nails because I bite my nails (D:) but when I do I usually like a bright red color.

3. Do you like Instagram or Pinterest better? Why? - I like Instagram better because I love playing around with the various filters and seeing other people's photos. I hope to become a regular user of Pinterest now that I have more time to try out some of the things I see on there!

4. What was/is your favorite subject in school? History!

5. Lipgloss, lipstick, or neither? Neither. I prefer chapstick. However, when I get dressed up I will use lipgloss.

Hello everyone!Long time, no post. My mom and I just returned from Walt Disney World in celebration of me graduating college. It was a fun two weeks there, but I am definitely glad to be back home. Before that, my dad and I went to New Orleans to watch our Louisville Cardinals play in the Sugar Bowl against the Florida Gators. Louisville won 33-23! It was an exciting atmosphere and I really enjoyed it. But I am glad to be back home and settled...I was sick on both trips (mainly just allergies and congestion) which was not fun.Anyway, now that I am back on a normal schedule I will start updating more frequently. I look forward to really settling in now that I have the time to devote like I want to into this blog. Talk to you soon!Kayla.